School Fire Horror in DRC: 26 Children Killed as Stampede Turns Classroom Into Death Trap
At least 26 children have died after a fire triggered a stampede at a school in Bukavu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with 25 other children injured in the tragedy.
The fire broke out on Thursday morning while students were attending lessons at Ujamaa primary school. A teacher who saw the fire said that children started screaming and trying to escape when the fire spread through the school.
Some students were said to have jumped from upper floors to try to get away from the fire, and others to have run through the doors. During the ensuing stampede, several children were trampled and others were trapped inside and died of asphyxiation, education inspectors said.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed the deaths and injuries, highlighting the devastating impact of the disaster on children and their families.
The M23 armed group, which is in control of Bukavu, announced three days of mourning. The group reported that 20 girls and six boys were among the victims, and that the funerals will be held on Saturday.
The authorities in Kinshasa and the M23 administration have requested an investigation into the cause of the fire. The education ministry said it was “saddened” by the incident and that it came after a “troubling” series of fires in Bukavu.
Wooden buildings, inadequate firefighting equipment and unsafe electrical connections are among the factors that have been blamed by experts for the regular disasters in Bukavu.
The incident has brought back the issue of school safety and the importance of proper emergency preparedness to keep children safe in school.
